A/Prof Dan Woodman University of Melbourne

@DrDanWoodman

dan.woodman@unimelb.edu.au

Young people and the future of work: Flexibility and security when ‘non-standard’ becomes the standard

Sources: Life Patterns Project: Ten Years Following Gen Y (2015); and Comparing the Generations (2016)

Source: Brotherhood of St Laurence (2017): Generation Stalled; see also Australia Institute (2018) The Dimensions of Insecure Work

‘They really want to work in a way that suits their lifestyle and they think in terms of work-life balance and that isn't something typically that's enhanced by a restrictive regime….[They] crave flexibility and in many ways their interests are aligned, between employers and future employee’.

(former) Myer CEO - Richard Umbers

So what?Transitions delayed, but also non-standard as the new standard

Security feels elusive, but to different degrees and with different responses.

Education (human capital) essential but only part of the story

Good jobs, not just jobs, as part of a wider system